I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

There were too many people at home, so Qiaoqiao didn't have time to visit Fenglin. Fenglin came right after lunch.

"Fenglin, I was thinking of visiting you tonight."

Qiaoqiao hugged Fenglin and jumped and bounced around. In fact, she was still a child herself.

"I know you're busy, so I rushed over to find you right after dinner. Hello, Auntie!"

Zheng Fenglin greeted Luo Meiyun and Qiaoqiao's mother, then looked at Zhou Xiaowei playing on the bed, his eyes shining: "Qiaoqiao, your son is so cute."

"His name is Zhou Xiaowei."

Zhou Xiaowei nestled in her grandmother's arms, watching impatiently as one unfamiliar person after another came in.

"Xiaowei, let Auntie hug you." Zheng Fenglin stretched out her hands, but Zhou Xiaowei didn't give her any face and buried her head in her grandmother's arms.

"This child is shy around strangers; he won't even let me hold him."

Luo Meiyun smiled and said that whoever takes care of her is the one she's closest to. Zhou Xiaowei doesn't even really care about Qiaoqiao; he only cares about his maternal grandmother.

"Fenglin, let's go inside to talk." Qiaoqiao pulled Zheng Fenglin to her small room.

"Fenglin, congratulations! Jintao got into university. Now you have a bright future ahead of you."

The two sat on the bed, their feet covered with cotton wool, chatting face to face.

Congratulations on becoming a university student!

"My scores were low, so in order to stay in this city, I could only study history. At best, I'll become a teacher, and not even a proper one. Who values ​​history anyway? Jin Tao is different. My father-in-law said that the country is focusing on agriculture, and Jin Tao will be a highly sought-after talent in the future."

"Really? Jin Tao said he'll go back to the village to raise rabbits after he graduates from university."

Zheng Fenglin was not happy; instead, he was somewhat worried.

What if Jin Tao flies far away, to a place she can no longer reach?

"He can't go back to the village to raise rabbits; he wants to lead the whole county in raising rabbits," Qiaoqiao said with a smile, seeing through Zheng Fenglin's thoughts.

"As long as he raises rabbits, that's fine. My rabbit-raising skills aren't bad either. He has theoretical knowledge, and I have practical knowledge. He might not even be better than me," Zheng Fenglin said with a proud smile.

"Don't worry, wherever Brother Jintao goes, he'll take you with him. Fenglin, is your mother-in-law good to you?"

"After Jin Tao was expelled, my mother-in-law treated me neither well nor badly, and she didn't interfere in my affairs. When Jin Tao came to your house to study and prepare for the college entrance examination, she said that her son would definitely pass the exam, and if I didn't give birth to a son, she would make her son divorce me."

"You know, we just got married, and Jintao went to the city. I can't have to give birth alone. After Jintao got into university, my mother-in-law became even more unreasonable, constantly saying that she shouldn't have agreed to the marriage in the first place. She looked down on me in every way." Zheng Fenglin lowered her head, her tears stinging.

"How is Brother Jin Tao treating you?"

"He's really sincere to me, and he even taught me how to deal with his mother. If I were to scold my mother-in-law, wouldn't I be laughed at by the villagers?"

Qiaoqiao chuckled: "Brother Jintao really understands his mother. Fenglin, where's your fierceness? You still have to fight back when it's time to fight back."

"I'm not afraid of outsiders, but I don't want the village to laugh at Jintao. I'll just have to put up with it. Once I make money raising rabbits, I'll build my own house and live separately from them, and then there will be less conflict."

"My father-in-law said that we can raise rabbits and pigs after the Chinese New Year."

"Really? We won't raise them to adulthood and then have to hand them over to the government, will we?"

"No, absolutely not this time. The Party Secretary of Tonggang County came to my house this morning; he made a solemn promise."

"Oh dear, then I'll raise twenty Angora rabbits. Each one costs forty yuan a year, so twenty would cost eight hundred."

"Twenty of them, can you handle it?"

"Yes, I have experience. It's just a matter of mowing the lawn and cleaning the rabbit cage. As long as the rabbits don't get sick, they're easy to raise. Even if they do get sick, Jintao has taught me what medicine to use and what vaccines to give them."

Zheng Fenglin was so excited that her face turned red. She had plenty of energy and now that she had a chance to use it, she wasn't afraid of being tired.

"Jin Tao has gone to school. Tuition and food expenses will cost a lot. There are also several acres of land at home, and you have to raise rabbits. You're working very hard."

"I'm not afraid of hardship, I'm afraid of working hard but not seeing any hope."

"Fenglin, if you encounter any difficulties, you must tell me. Don't treat me like an outsider."

"What difficulties could there be? The rabbits are raised first and paid for later. This year's harvest was good, and we sold the surplus grain and saved three hundred yuan for Jintao's schooling. In the countryside, food and drink come from our own land. But you, in the city, have to spend money everywhere."

In reality, ordinary workers in the city also have a very difficult life.

For example, Yang Zheng was frugal and could only save ten yuan a month at most. And Sister Liu was also very stingy and calculating.

Qiaoqiao's life was more comfortable than theirs. It was because Zhou Wenhui had some money left over from his lectures. Even with his salary, he was still struggling to make ends meet.

However, they can all see hope. The country is paying attention to people's livelihoods, and whether in the city or the countryside, life will only get better and better.

That night, Yang Zheng went to Zhao Jintao's house to stay overnight, while Qiaoqiao's father and grandfather went to Zhao Gui's house to stay overnight.

Qiaoqiao, Qiaoqiao's mother, Qiaoqiao's grandmother, and Zhou Xiaowei slept on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Zhou Zhonghai and Luo Meiyun slept on Yang Zhenghe's grandfather's big bed, and Zhou Wenhui slept on Qiaoqiao's old small bed.

The bed was hard, and the cotton quilt wasn't soft either, but everyone slept soundly.

Tranquility, relaxation—that's the sense of security that comes with being together as a family.

Early in the morning, firecrackers sounded from near and far. Today is the last day of the year. Poverty, disease, and suffering will all be sent away today, and we look forward to a hopeful next year.

Qiaoqiao's mother and grandmother got up early to start cooking. Qiaoqiao was still half asleep but wanted to get up and help. Her grandmother said, "Sweetie, sleep a little longer. It's cold outside."

Qiaoqiao rolled over, hugged her son, and fell asleep again.

This is the feeling of laziness when you're surrounded by loved ones. Someone loves and cares for you, and you can sleep in without any worries.

Zhou Zhonghai and Luo Meiyun also get up early; their years in the military had instilled in them the habit of waking up early.

Zhou Zhonghai, in particular, had been in a coma for over a year. He wasn't tired; he wished he could stay awake 24 hours a day.

He hated sleeping; he needed to be awake so he could serve the people.

Qiaoqiao's mother cooked porridge and steamed buns in a big pot, and let Zhou Zhonghai and Luo Meiyun eat breakfast first.

Qiaoqiao's father and grandfather also returned. They boiled water, killed a chicken, took out the pig offal, and a few pounds of meat that the team had allocated, to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Since Zhou Zhonghai couldn't help, he and Luo Meiyun went for a walk around the village.

After a good harvest, Dashui Village secretly raised a few chickens, and every household was slaughtering them.

Perhaps, a pot of chicken soup was the most sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner they had in ten years.

"We have mountains, rivers, and land, yet the lives of ordinary people are still so hard," Zhou Zhonghai sighed.

"The war is over, the wrong path has been corrected, and the country should start developing."

"The road ahead will be no easier than fighting a war."

On the country lanes, early-rising villagers greeted Zhou Zhonghai warmly: "Commander Zhou, you've come to the countryside for the New Year?"

"Yes, the countryside is nice, the air is fresh."

"I was afraid of neglecting someone as important as you, as this is the first time I've been able to eat white flour steamed buns this year."

The villagers are humble, while the important figures are high and mighty. They are treated to the best food and wine, which makes the host family very worried.

Great figures are not gods to be worshipped on high places; they should bear the mission of the times and change the fate of ordinary people.